Thursday, July 22, 2010

grand old movie palaces

Of course the thing to do today is watch movies at home on your dvd player or computer but there is nothing like seeing a movie at a grand old movie palace.

One of my most memorable San Francisco movie experiences is seeing Cabaret screened at the Castro Theater- a movie palace built in 1922 featuring a wonderfully ornate interior. Before the show a wurlitzer pipe organ emerged from the middle of the stage and we were treated to a ten minute musical performance before the red curtain parted. You really feel you are there for something special! The packed house cheered for both the opening and closing credits.

Along Mission Street there are a few crumbling old movie palaces that have been totally neglected and are now either empty or like this one below housing a parking lot. The red seats are still packed into the alley next door, a reminder of better movie days. So get out to see a movie sometimes and don't let these places become lost treasures that you can only hear about in memories but not experience!